


Farmer'S Daughter

by Happy_Cow



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Animal Death, Animals, Country & Western, Darkfic, F/M, Flashbacks, Freeform, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Implied/Referenced Underage Relationship(s), Kylo Ren Has Issues, Kylo Ren calls Rey so many things, Pet Names, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Southern Gothic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-04
Updated: 2021-02-10
Packaged: 2021-03-06 05:41:32
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,344
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25718236
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Happy_Cow/pseuds/Happy_Cow
Summary: Just a collection of pet names Kylo Ren uses for his one true love.Pretty girl, Sweetheart, Kitten, , Baby girl, Darlin etc.
Relationships: Chewbacca & Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 45
Kudos: 60





	1. Pretty Girl

**Author's Note:**

> I think my writer's block is leaving?  
> The trick I do is 1. read -> 2\. idea -> 3\. brute-force-write through it -> 4\. delet the extra  
> I m at step 4 right now, but in the meantime  
> This is actually something old I made, a looong time ago, but it's more of an 'exercise' than a true 'story' which is why I held off posting it

_Farmer’s Daughter // Breakfast with a Kick_

_spicy tomato, spinach, mozzarella, Italian sausage, egg*, red pepper chili oil, parmesan._

Rose assembled the pizza, shooting glances at the customer who ordered it. He was tall with jet black hair, in a jet black raincoat. White. A dripping red hat with the First Order emblem on the top.

As it baked, Finn at the cashiers decided it was time to make nice: “It takes some effort to come through here on a day like this.”

The man stared at the oven, waiting for his pizza to roll out.

“I get that,” blathered Finn, ignoring **The Look** _tm_ from his caring and intelligent GF. “Sometimes you just gotta treat yourself, man.”

“This place is overpriced to shit,” the man drawled. “Nine bucks for a piece of flatbread. Plus fifteen percent sales tax.” Southern accent.

The pizza rolled half out. Finn sniffled. Rose stalked around the oven and gave the customer a death glare before boxing the pizza and cutting it into bite-sized pieces.

The man paid in cash and grabbed his box. He hesitated. He rambled on, “It’s none of y’all’s fault what price management sets, I’m sorry.” He sniffed. “My wife likes this place.”

Finn beamed. “No problem, man. Have a good day,” he hummed. Rose said nothing.

“God bless,” said the man, before heading out into the rain.

Finn preens. He turned to his GF and said, “You know, you don’t have to be rude. First impressions aren’t always what they seem.” Finn gives a pointed glare. He won’t let go of the tasing incident, _Jesus_. 

“You don’t know, Finn. Not every customer has to be your friend.”

“You have to have faith in the human condition,” Finn insisted.

.

Blood and grey spending dripped out of her and into the grey bedpan. The girl gripped the bed or else she’d collapse in her own filth. When she was finished, she wound the toilet paper around her hand and wiped herself clean. He had left a bottle of rubbing alcohol for her to disinfect herself and it numbed her pale, remote hands.

She heard the sound of the pickup rolling into the driveway and a strange, riotous fear sent her heart a-leaping. She crept into the bed and made herself as small as possible in the little nest of the blankets that smelled like him.

The steps creaked under his weight. The door locks disengaged. A morose eye met hers. “Mornin, Rey,” he said. The door swung open. He had a paper plate with what looked like a pizza on it. “Hey, pretty girl.”

* * *

  1. _**Pretty Girl**_



Rey frowned, _flummoxed_. Ben, Han’s boy, leaned against the wire fence. She looked around for one of his beaus, but there was only _her_. He made a beckoning motion. His face was dotted with acne, and because of that shame he had a sombrero leaned jauntily over his eye. 

“Who’re you lookin for, Crunchy?” she called back.

“Told you not to call me that,” he replied tersely.

“Okay, Crunchy.” She huffed and turned around. The chickens had just gotten a new house while it was warm out, but maybe a fox peed on the wood pilings because instead, the chickens laid in: the grass, out in the open, and over a pile of rat droppings. Intelligence was not a chickenly characteristic.

From her peripheral, he stalked around the margins. She turned and saw him standing before the chicken wire fence, at his full height. Blocking the exit. She ignored him as she collected eggs, ignored his lean body beneath the wifebeater and the scent of him that sent her head into a tizzy. 

“Your Mother,” he said.

Hurt surged through her. She shrugged it away. “I dunno. She ain’t with Plutt no more.”

He said, “I’m gonna fuck her, n’ when I do I’ll pretend it’s your tight little cunt. It’ll be easy, because she’s you in like fifteen more years”

“You go right on ahead with that.”

“If I get her pregnant, we’ll be blood,” he mused. “On Christmas, you’ll be begging for a ride on Daddy Ben’s fat dick.”

Rey shook her head, cutting him out of her mind. Sometimes she thought about removing her Mark that way. Flies buzzed. At the back of the house, one of the hens was dead, and the others didn’t care. The handsome cock, his tail shaped like a heart, stepped over his dead bride.

* * *

Breakfast and then ~~rape~~ _sex_. It wasn’t the other thing because they were both Marked n he was gentler this time when she let it happen. Ben didn’t know how to make her cum, and neither did she, but he wanted to learn. He talked about a ‘vaginal’ n a ‘clitoral’ orgasm, wholly unnecessary for the greater good, but he would learn about it just for her.

Ben uncuffed her ankle n they went to the bathroom. He watched her brush her teeth n wash her face, then he combed her long, long hair. He took her hand n wrapped it around his shaft, and this time she didn’t hurt him, this time she did so good he’d figure out a surprise or something. 

Ben raised horses and bred dogs. Horses and dogs were the only things he understood. He never found a reason to hit a horse, and if you hit a dog you were a moron or a sadist. The only reason you’d hit a dog was if it were biting the face off your child.

He built for his wife a chicken coop, some planter’s beds, and a cow house. Rey was a little picky, though; she said the land where he put the coop was no good. She wanted the field of new clover, but that was where he put her time-out post so he could watch her from the window inside. Also Ben wasn’t good at building no thing, so the chicken house leaked in April and it turned out the cow house collapsed.

He gave her structure so she wouldn’t herself get into trouble, the same thing Snoke gave him:

  * Monday - _Washday_!



Ben would go off and take back two bucketfuls of water from the spring. Mixed with 40-60 washing powder. This was women’s work well familiar to Rey.

  * Tuesday - Ironing!



Ben got her the _new_ iron so there wouldn’t be ash stains on his fancy white shirts. Rey was so _cute_ about her precious clean clothes; sometimes he just wanted a shirt or pants not crusted in dirt. He did not mind meeting clients in his cum-stained boxers; after his wedding, the next time he would wear a pressed suit would be his funeral.

  * Wednesday - ~~Baking Day!~~



He forget that she was part-raised by a useless whore. Gettin ‘baking’ from Rey would earn him a browned rock only good for a door jamb.

  * Thursday - House Cleaning
  * Friday - Clean Lamps and Lamp Chimneys
  * Saturday - Ben is Away, Rest
  * Sunday - ‘Rest’



Despite the lack of baking abilities, Rey made a good wife. She took care of the birds and milked the one cow. She cleaned out the dog houses and helped him when they needed delousing, and brushed them and the horses. She watered and fed the sweet potato snips and the animals if he put her up to it. Someday he won’t have to chain her to the stove, hopefully.

As soon as he put a baby in her, her wanderlust would settle down. Snoke promised him that, so God-willing he’ll get her in the dead of winter and she’ll stay here when summer returned.


	2. Sweetheart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The break is helping I think!!
> 
> If you were curious, this was based off 2 books about chikins and the few times Ive been on a farm

One of the chickens was getting bullied. Rey was worried. 

She pointed out one of them that was bare-naked over its back n smaller than her sisters. She was just past pullet age and should’ve given eggs by now, but no. 

In chicken society, males won’t tolerate each other, but females have their own hierarchy. The best girl pecks the best feed n she can fight off the rooster. The lower down the hierarchy, they’ll start to harass the worst girl. The rooster knows who the worst girl is because he’ll be fucking her the most, so much that his talons will scratch off the feathers off her back. 

Rey wanted something called a ‘mounting vest’. This was a vest, for the chicken, so that the cock won’t accidentally fuck her bald. In the meantime, she’ll just live in the house. That’s all.

.

Ben did all the accounting n the breeding charts n feed records each day that kept them n the animals from starving; he kept _her_ chained to the desk beside him with a book and he guessed a _chicken_ now. Number one fear was her befriending a horse and running off into the mountains to kill herself or some shit. Like in _BlackBeauty_.

At his feet, Chewie lay watching his lady. Chewie was more Ben’s animal than hers, but she was winning him over. He was a great brown furry asshole with hair rather than fur, ‘hypoallergenic’ so they say. (He shed enough each day to make another Chewie.) Chewie was at great strain taking care not to eat his new feathered sister. He was a born and bred fowl catcher — motherfucker stalked geese and then jumped a full ten feet to snatch them out of the air. Chewie helped keep the lady of the house from hurting herself, but he was a sucker for pretty girls and snacks.

Ben leaned back in his seat. 

His wife had curled herself in her chair, elbows tucked against her chin n knees buckled, the chain falling down from her hidden ankle. Hair spilled over her face. The chicken sat atop the back of the chair in her bulletproof vest, eyeing Chewie with one black marble.

The chair grunted as the man pushed it back. He stepped, cautiously. Chewie raised his head but did not move, a bred n born stalker. Ben licked the pad of his finger and parted her hair. Eyelashes as fine as the blades of a paintbrush. Like this, she looked _so_ at ease. 

He kissed her brow and she snapped awake, going ‘no nono’ as she pressed herself to the small of the chair in a mess of scrabbling limbs. She bundled her white thighs together n held her knees shut with her arms, trying to hide her pussy. The chicken’s flapping stirred her hair.

His mouth went dry. He held out his hand to her so she could scent him, feel how safe he is right now. “No,” he mewled, his knee on the mattress, “ _sweetheart_ , _no_.”

* * *

  1. **Sweetheart**



Rey hiccuped. She wiped her eyes furiously on her sleeve.

“You don’t mean that,” he said breathily, his hand running up n down her arm. His eyes were half-lidded, red at the edges. The pungent smell of ganja clung to his clothes he smelled like Mama after a concert.

“I do!” she cried. “Nobody would miss me!”

Ben tipped his head. “I would,” he said all soft.

.

When she grew up, they said that Ben would fuck her up. His Daddy was in jail for moving crack cocaine into the Capital — helped supply some Senator lady up for re-election. They had a baby. She freebased it all, n then Ben got sent to live here with Wall-Eyed Luke, the county exorcist. Rey hated everybody! Rey hated Ben! She didn’t want his ugly Mark n his _drinking_ n _whoring_...

.

He took her rolling suitcase and lifted it easily as if it weren’t a hundred pounds. Rey cried in dismay, but he wouldn’t yield to the barrage of tiny fists slamming into his stomach.

“ _You won’t miss me_ ,” she cried, exasperated, “ _you don’t even want me!_ ”

“I do, sweetheart,” he said.

“ _You called me annoying!_ ” He shrugged. “I don’t want you, neither, Ben Solo!”

He lapsed into silence. Then, he said, “If you leave, all your pets will die.”

Rey shook her head. “No, I made a list to who Mama could sell them to.”

“No. If you leave, I’ll kill them all myself,” he hummed. Rey blanched like green beans. “Let’s see, the white chicken that was egg-bound. Gonna snap her neck n eat her. The stargazing one... wait, that one’s dead now, ain’t it? It shat itself to death? The weird cat, ‘Baby Three’. I’ll give her to Chewie.” So he _was_ listening, n now he was hurting her.

“But she’s Poe’s cat,” Rey said.

“Right. I’ll fucking strangle Poe,” Ben said. “That’s the brown one, right?”

They got into his car, Rey having no choice without her luggage. He made her wear the seatbelt, even though it was sorta stuck in its hidey hole. There was a little hole in the well of the car n every little bump juddered her spine; each time, he would raise his hand to press her flat to the seat. They stopped in front of Snoke’s gate. Ben lingered there a little, before making a grunting noise n driving along. Plutt’s trailer was a little longer further, n the sun was down. 

They got out. Ben pulled out her rolling luggage from the trunk of the car. “Think about what I said,” he said, smiling, before sliding back into the driver’s seat. He pulled out of the driveway. 

In that moment, her courage returned. She glared at him through his windshield. He gave a weasel grin and waved, when she screamed, “I FUCKING HATE YOU, BEN SOLO!”

His smile faded. ‘I love you’, he mouthed, making a kissy face.

“I’D RATHER DIE!” she swore. “I’D RATHER DIE THAN LAY WITH YOU! YOU’RE A - a - A FORNICATOR! YOU’RE SICK!!” The look on his face could’ve frozen Hell over. But she didn’t care, because by God then maybe getting flattened into a pancake was better than being defiled by him and making his house and giving him babies... 

* * *

When they were all finished, he lay beside her on the seat, his shirt unbuttoned so Rey could lay skin to skin with him. She was all _petite_ , pert little breasts pressed to his side, tiny hands grazing the scars she left on his ribs. He left his own share of _lovebites_ all over her, just superficial bumps and bruises to keep her in check, on her toes. Maybe the _both_ of them were too gentle for this world. The Lord God gave him a little lady. Proud n headstrong, just like their kids’ll be. 

Internet said The Mark made her _want_ to love him, it was just, that,

There was this thing called ‘ego’. He forget what it is now specifically, in Jungian terms(?), but, when you’ve got your soul mate, then love destroys that ego, so that two can become one. Ben wanted that. He knew he had a lot of ego n he still needed a _lot_ of _breaking_. She did, too. Rey had to be broken down _just a bit_ so he could fit inside.


	3. Kitty Cat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> henlo; if u are wondering why my updates are late, I was looking for the Disney villain dating sim on the app store on my phone, and I found,, I found a vampire one, starring such vampire anime boys as: Vincent Van Gogh, his brother, Napoleon Bonaparte, William Shakespeare, Joan of Arc, Da Vinci I think??, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle . If this appeals to you, it is called Ikeman Vampire

“I think,” he said, “I’ll get you a kitty cat.”

Rey glanced up at him from her knitting. He was readin the paper at the table, his hair done up in a ponytail. She raised a toe n scratched at the skin beneath the cuff — except, it wasn’t there. He trusted her _now._ Ol Chewie gnawed on a pig ear on the carpet, but his furry ears had perked up. Ben lowered the paper and smiled at her. A shading of mustache covered his upper lip.

“But, I don’t need a c-a-t,” she ventured. “N’ you-know-who will eat it.”

“Chewie’s a good boy,” Ben said. Chewie glanced up, his tail thumping the carpet. Ben looked at his dog and he said, “That’s _right_ , mister. _You’re the good boy._ ”

“What’s brought this on?” Rey said.

“We need a kitty cat,” Ben insisted. He wiggled excitedly in his chair. Today was a Saturday, which meant that he wandered off to God-knows-where. It was in her best interest if he did just that, but it would be nice to know what the time frame was.

After a while, she needles it out of him. “Oh alright,” he huffed. “Phasma called me from down at the pharmacy. They got a box of _kittens_ , calico-colored.”

Phasma as in Starkiller-County Phasma, the tall bitch. Two miles away from Takodana Gentlemen’s Club. She loses her place in her knitting, and the needles clack. Don’t know why this _still_ hurt her; better _them_ than her. Least those ladies got _paid_ for the deed. 

“Alright,” she choked out. “Um. We got. We need,” she said, setting down her knitting, “um, supplies for her. If you do choose one.” Ben nodded. “But kittens, stray kittens won’t live for very long, sometimes they die. Did Phasma say in what condition they were in?”

“Said they were real cute,” he said.

Phasma was the kinda gal who thought cats should live on milk n bread. This didn’t spell out well at all, but Rey made an addendum to their grocery list on a sheet of note paper in case since he seemed so dead set on this course.

_**Things that a kitty cat needed:** _

  * \- a litter box
  * \- sand for the litter box
  * \- cat food
  * \- cat treats
  * \- a brush
  * \- a collar
  * \- cat toy
  * — _Why am I not enough for him? Why can’t he even keep up the facade of lovin me, what is the point of this?_
  * \- cat bed



He cuffed her to the living room sofa. He left dog treats on the table, just Chewie’s dental treats because he had tartar buildup and a mild obesity. Ben left her her ‘lady-treats’ on the table, too, incase she got peckish: sour cream chips, sugar-free gummies, water bottles, strawberries, bananas, granola. No chocolate, of course. 

To Rey, it’s ‘You be good, I’ll be right back home before supper.’

To Chewie, it’s ‘Keep n eye on Mommy, alright boy? Keep her safe.’

Then off he went in the stupid ‘Millenium Falcon’, chugging further n further away.

.

Rey rummaged around in the seat cushions and pulled out the thing he had left inside one of his pockets — a paperclip. She straightened it into a point, hefted her ankle, and fit the end into the keyhole the way Mama showed her. Internet said the deal was to get the little pins to align, but Mama said to just feel for the clicks. The cuff loosened n slid off.

Chewie stood up n made a grinding sound inside his chest. He was a big, shaggy pony with the head of a wolf. _Fuckin monster_ , just like his master. Rey made cooing noises and took the bag of gummies. “ _Hey, baby_ ,” she hummed. “Are you hungry?” She pulled it open and pulled out a plump, red _bloody_ bear.

Chewie perked up. He took a small step forward, his wet nose tasting the air. The broom of his tail wagged. He _ever so_ _delicately_ took the bear from her fingertips. Rey fed him a few more n then tugged open the bag before setting it on the floor. Chewie’s great big nose snuffled inside the bag n he ate mouthfuls of bears in wet, squishy bites, with his tail waggin like a brown flag.

Rey reached down n brushed his long, silky fur, n he wagged his butt even harder. When he was done, he set his great big ol’ head on her knee n stared into her eyes, to say ‘Nice try, lady, but you’re still not goin nowhere.’ So Rey opened the strawberries n the bananas n the bag of chips n the granola n poured some water into his mouth when he wanted it. This was a lot for poor fat Chewie, as sweet as a man’s last dessert.

Only half an hour later, he staggered away from her on four drunken legs, then collapsed in a heap on his carpet. Rey got up n pet his head, n apologized n said goodbye, before wiping her eyes and leaving his side.

* * *

  1. **Kitty Cat**



Rey was taught to be afraid of dogs, why out here they were mostly bred for backyard fighting. Big, heavy animals with small ears and squarish heads. If you passed by their fence, they would throw themselves against the wire fence making it rattle, their red slavering mouths winking with rows of yellowed plaque-lined teeth.

She never told Ben this, because she knew it would amuse and disgust him, and he was always searching for ammo to torment her with. Ben had a habit of springing surprise visits on her, and he made it a gift of saying or doing the exact thing that would curdle her stomach. For as long as she could remember, she knew for that he probably _hated_ her regardless to his words to the contrary; but now at fourteen, she had the wisdom to know _why_. In his eyes, _she_ Marked _him_ instead of the other way around, so now the kids and stupid adults who knew of Rey now _assumed_ that he was some sort of pedophile because of the age gap. This was a very small town, so everybody _knew_. The girls at school already assumed they’d _lain_ together… 

Rey had thought about it, and decided that as soon as she was able, she would move away. Maybe go to a state college, or anyplace away from the country, away from Ben and they would forget about each other. Now that she was older, she realized it would be plenty easy to run away forreal, instead of that pathetic attempt she made years ago. Mom was already run-off to live with her new boyfriend. Plutt cried a little about it, then took it out on Rey, who he saw as a freeloader now. Now she had to strip old cars for junk. Rey sorta-kinda taught herself to drive using old lemons and some pointers from Poe Dameron.

She was resting against one of these cars and thinking about the future, when she heard a rustle in the brushes beyond the sad little scrapyard. She turned her head and made out the brown pulsing shape of a thing barreling towards her. She had just enough time to leap on top of the car. That dog was _huge_. Black nose, black lips, black claws and shiny teeth. Its dinnerplate paws beat against the windows and the car shuddered on its axle beneath her scrabbling hands. Its wet tongue lolled out of its mouth, and a tail whipped the dirt beneath its legs. A full-throated wail poured out of its throat, drowning out Rey’s mortal screams of terror.

Then she heard a clear whistle, and the beast perked its head in the same direction. It dropped to all fours. Rey saw a figure walk towards them, and a ball of dread formed in her trembling stomach. 

Ben walked towards them casually, hands tucked into the pockets of his jeans.

“Hey _kitty cat_ ,” he said, smiling beatifically at Rey.

Oh of course. “Is this _your_ animal?” she heard herself say, her voice hoarse with fear and a lowly simmering anger.

“Who?” He looked down at the dog, and the dog looked up at him, cocking its anvil head. It was covered in head to toe with thick, ropy fur. It turned its beady eyes to Rey and then back to Ben, before making a musical growling sound, like disappointment. “ _Chewie_?” Ben said, his tone incredulous. His eyebrow ratcheted up a notch as he looked to Rey. “He wouldn’t hurt _you_. He’s a _big baby_.”

Rey had doubts about that. But patiently, Ben took her hand in his and held it down. ‘Chewie’ braced his paws on the windows and sniffed wetly at her hand, before sliding his tongue across her knuckles. _That’s Mommy_ , muttered Ben. _Yeah_.

Ben added, “If he _did_ want to mangle you, he would’ve jumped on the hood and done it like that. He’s smart as Hell.”

“Oh,” Rey muttered, before snatching her hand out of his grasp. Her skin felt tingly now where his fingers held her; nervous, she wiped it across her jacket.

“You can get off the car,” Ben suggested. He made to grab her hips and pull her down, but Rey slid off the other side. Chewie circled around and shoved his snout against her stomach, and then between her legs. “ _Quit it_ ,” snarled Ben, when he saw what was happening. He shoved his dog away with both hands. 

Not to be deterred, Chewie circled around again to sniff at Rey’s side and then her shoes. She felt the need to cross her arms and squeeze her thighs together. “… So,” began Rey, “what kind of dog is he?”

“He’s a _purebred_ ,” said Ben. His chest puffed up with pride. “He’s smart as Hell and he can jump, like, twenty-feet in the air. See his fur? It’s actually hair, so it’s hypoallergenic.” He smoothed his hand over Chewie’s head, and Chewie’s lips pulled back in sort of a nasty smile before he flinched away.

“I don’t think he likes being petted,” commented Rey.

“No he loves it,” Ben insisted. “Go on.” Slowly, Rey held out a hand to Chewie; the dog lifted his head, sniffed it, and gave a polite lick. “See? He loves you; he knows you’re a _good one_.”

“… Well, alright,” said Rey, withdrawing her hand shyly. “Does… does he know any tricks?”

“He sure does. Chewie, _sit_ ,” Ben thrust his jaw out. Chewie raised a massive paw and sort of batted at Rey’s knee. “Chewie, _sit_ , boy,” he commanded again. But Chewie did not sit. “ _Son bitch_ ,” muttered Ben, as he placed his hands on his waist.

Rey looked up and saw the irritation on Ben’s face. She couldn’t help but smile.

Ben’s eyes rolled to her. “Well. _You_ try,” he said, before clapping her shoulder. “He’s a _sucker_ for _pretty girls_.”

Oh. Nobody had ever… No, he _had_ called her _that_ before, but she couldn’t remember right now. It must not be so important then, she reasoned. “Chewie.” The dog perked his head up. “Sit?” Chewie looked at her and then his bottom hit the ground. Instantly, Ben’s hand smoothed over her back. “See?” he said, pride dripping from his voice. “ _He loves you_.”

They must’ve gone through an itinerary of Chewie’s tricks. He can stand and sneeze, and do that weird throaty howl on command. Then Chewie started getting annoyed and tired, and he started rolling in a pile of loose dirt somewhere away from them, to Ben’s annoyance. In the meantime, his hand rested on Rey’s side like it belonged there. Rey realized that she had _let_ him do this, without complaint the entire time she was distracted by his dog.

“There he goes,” muttered Ben, glaring angrily at his dog. “He knows he’s gonna need a bath after that. That’s why he’s doing it, to piss me off...”

Rey placed her hand on the inside of his wrist and extricated herself from his arm.

Ben looked at her, surprise flashing on his face. Then he smiled easily. He was really handsome, with his dark hair and his long limbs. He could get girls who could look past his Mark and forget Rey for a few minutes of mindless fucking.

“I have to get home, or Plutt will come looking for me,” Rey said.

“… You know, I heard about your Mom,” said Ben. “You don’t have to live with him anymore. I’d be happy to…”

She shook her head.

His smile became fixed. Ben thrust his jaw out, and he slid his empty hands into his pockets. His eyes darkened and he shrugged, letting the meanness in him take over again. “Suit yourself, sweetheart. I woulda thought you didn’t like getting beaten black and blue, but. It’s your loss.” He spun on his heels and began striding off on the path he came from.

Rey looked to Chewie, who looked at them upside-down where he laid in the dirt.

“Bye Chewie,” she said, waving sadly. Chewie righted himself and trotted up to her. Rey was surprised at this friendliness, so she scratched underneath his heavy chin while he wagged his tale slowly back and forth in slow arcs, like a brown flag. What a big baby. “Bye, baby boy.”

One short whistle didn’t summon them, but the second one dragged Chewie away from her. Man and dog left for what Rey hoped would be the last time.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The thing abt peacocks is true, btw!!  
> Thank u for readin;; I m still trying to finish some fics :3

It was already getting dark when Rey stepped off of the Skywalker ranch for the first time in... 

Her knees knocked together; often she glanced behind her on the driveway. She had left the lights on in the farmhouse. It had a shingled roof with a weathervane at the top that squealed whenever it got windy enough. There was a porch in need of paint, which Chewie liked to dash under in his constant hunt for rodentia. There was the stack of wood that Ben chopped himself in preparation for the colder months. There was the house that he cobbled roughly together for her chickens... Rey’s eyes itch, and when she reached up to rub at them, the back of her hand came away wet.

The Mark stung something fierce. It was a dark patch on the palm of left hand. Unsightly stain on her skin. There were a thousand and one romances about these ugly marks written by lonely people. For all of Rey’s life, it was something strange and sick to have everybody telling you that that nasty older boy that smelled like wet dog would marry you one day. Even scarier was watching him fall for that same crock of shit. 

Rey had no big plan of where to go or what to do after this. Just _escape_ was enough. She could follow the solid surface of the road beneath her feet until the lights of a car would singe her eyes, and then she would hope to hitchhike somewhere, anywhere. It didn’t matter who they were or what their intentions were; after living with Kylo, she couldn’t imagine feeling too wary of a stranger in a car. A cold wind blew, and a grim smile stole across her face as she wrapped her arms tighter around herself.

The Mark tingled and began to burn on the surface of her hand as she walked alone in the dark. No rhyme or reason to it; it was cold out. You know, she didn’t even remember how she got it. Her mother said that his uncle Luke had brought _him_ to the house (when they lived in a house) and Ben was just _wandering_ around and he just _touched_ her, and that was it. Destiny struck. 

If Mama remembered anything more, she never did tell Rey. She seemed uncomfortable about it. Kylo of course gave a _different_ story — where he was a regular _Knight in Shining Armor_ — and who knew how true _that_ was. Mama was always _uncomfortable_ around her, like she had already given up her own infant daughter to some angry eleven-year-old boy. As in: ‘Thank _God_ , now she’s somebody else’s problem’. 

Rey had no choice in the matter, but then again neither did Kylo. He didn’t go to that house so long ago and expect to get yoked to a _baby_ , like a prince in an arranged marriage. He hated it, hated _her_. He threatened to kill her animals and her friend. Oh sometimes he could be _civil_ and _princely_ , and he could use that tongue to make girls ignore that Mark on his face for the ten minutes or so it takes for him to ejaculate. But it was all an act disguising the monster beneath the surface of his skin. Everybody else could kiss the prince, but Rey won the _monster; why,_ she couldn’t _believe_ her own good fortune.

Rey wished she could turn off these thoughts; she was free only in body, her head still shackled in that farmhouse beside Chewie the dog and all of those memories, tumbling down, and down. The only sound in that dark night, the rhythm of her footsteps and her own heavy breathing, could only summon the past. Even now she wasn’t sure if she was exactly _free_ , or if she was still living a nightmare.

* * *

_**4.** _

Her eyes had been open for a while now. Her nightmare dissolved and left only her heartbeat, and that other strange knocking rhythm. It was the unmistakeable sound of sex. Mama had a _guest_ for the night. 

Rey squeezed her eyes shut and she held the pillow to her ears to try to block it out. It didn’t work, and now she could feel the _vibrations_ of it running through the wall and up the bed frame. As if to spite Rey further, Mama began grunting and crying. _Ah, ah! Yes! Yes!_ she huffed lustily. Distaste seethed through Rey and she threw her bedcovers off. She was never gonna get any sleep like this anyways.

So she got up from bed and walked out of her room. With her hands outstretched, she felt for obstacles on her way to the kitchen. Rey got a mug from the kitchen cabinet and she filled it with water from the Brita filter over the sink. She licked her lips and brought the mug to her mouth so she could drink the nice clean water. Rey didn’t like Dryden and she missed her chickens, but she _did_ like his house and his things. 

A sound came from behind her and she spun around.

* * *

A light flashed in her eyes, right _now_ and not in her memory. Headlights of an incoming car coming down the road. Rey held up her hand and she stuck a thumb out before moseying onto the side of the road so she wouldn’t be a Rey-pancake. Despite everything she wasn’t feeling _suicidal_.

The car slid past her and then came to a halt. It took a moment for her to realize it was not like any other car she normally saw around these parts: a _luxury_ car. Sand-colored. Before she could think on it further, the car began to reverse and came to a stop right in front of her and the window rolled down. A light came on inside and showed the face of a brown-skinned man, his eyebrows raised in comical surprise that rivaled hers.

“ _Rey!?_ ” he cried.

Rey took in his Hollywood face and his haircut, trying to place why this man recognized her. Mentally she ran through Kylo’s clients and came up empty, and then she shifted through the faces that only she knew, which weren’t many. Brown skinned Latino boy, handsome, strong white teeth. Rey reeled back in time.

“ _Poe!?_ ” she shrieked. 

The passenger-side door unlocked and she bolted inside and now they were hugging each other, these two long-lost friends.

Poe pulled away from her and stared at her. “ _Jesus_ , what happened to you?” he asked. 

Hysteric laughter slipped out of her and she pushed stray hair over her ear. “I’ll explain on the way — where are you going?” 

“Home,” said Poe. He took her in and Rey could see herself through his eyes: the jeans, the jacket, the backpack, the uncombed hair, the bags beneath the eyes. Poe was on the upswing of his life, she could tell. Sympathy flickered in his eyes. _If you only knew_ , Rey thought, smiling straining. _Please don’t ask, Poe_. 

Poe tightened his shoulders and gripped the wheel and he said, “Well you’ll tell me later.”

.

After graduating from law school and working in the capitol, Poe got bored. He wanted to ‘return to his roots’ and he started up his own little ‘ranching’ operation. When they got there, Poe opened up one of the insulated houses for her. Rey gawped.

“Little more exotic than your chickens, I know,” said Poe.

Rey was abashed that he’d even remembered that after all those years. The insulated bird house was a long white shed at the back of the house with straw covering the floors. It was much more than any measly chicken house that Rey or Kylo could have hashed together. On either side of the bird house was a row of nest boxes. Adorable little birds with flat faces hopped out to get a good look at these tall intruders and to sniff their pant-legs for a midnight snack. 

“What in the hell are these,” Rey demanded. She reached down to pet one and it lifted its pug-like face to chirp at her. 

“These are Porgs,” Poe said. “They come from some island on the Atlantic.” Casual as can be he added, “Farm-to-table spots in DC pay top-dollar for them.”

“People _eat_ these?” Rey wailed before she could stop herself.

Fortunately Poe smiled, more amused then offended. “Yeah, they’re like a fattier version of duck. And the eggs are little mouthfuls, like quail eggs. People eat chicken too, but you didn’t complain about that.”

If Rey stayed any longer, she was going to feel sorrier for these cute little birds, so they stepped out and Poe locked the door. 

“I have some peacocks, too,” said Poe, “but people don’t eat those assholes. I rent those out for special events, like weddings or whatever. When they’re in season, the males will hop on the roof and do a little dance at four am.” Poe got on his tippy-toes and demonstrated the peacock dance for her and Rey surprised herself with her own laughter. 

It had been a long time since she laughed like that, a long time since she talked to anybody without wincing in fear like a beaten dog. It had been a long time since she was purely happy. It had been a long time since somebody was kind to her for no reason and suddenly she was doused with suspicion as cold as ice water. _Why are you doing this, why are you helping me_ , a voice demanded of Poe. 

Poe hopped up the patio steps to the back of his darkened farmhouse and he pushed open the door, before realizing that Rey was lingering behind her. “What’s wrong?” he asked. “You wanna see the peacocks? You can see them tomorrow; if we bother them now, they get _ornery_.”

Just as sudden guilt niggled at the back of her head, but she could not force herself to move forward. The Mark burned like crazy shoved into the pocket of her coat. The bites and bruises hidden beneath her coat began to tingle as she remembered them. Her emotions seethed like a ball of poison snakes inside of her, trying to constrict and consume its neighbor. Kylo had poisoned her, poisoned every part of her past. Kylo poisoned her against her mother and then against her friend.

Poe frowned and he said, “Well I’ll leave this door open for you if you change your mind.” He stepped inside and a warm light flicked on into a spacious kitchen. He lived well with all his DC money. Rey could see two chrome ovens built into the wall and figured she couldn’t be chained to that. Maybe.

* * *

_**4\. (Continued)** _

He didn’t say anything he was just _standing_ there. 

Rey coughed up water all over herself, and then she placed the mug on the counter so she could cough in earnest. Kylo stood stock still, his body limned in a grey outline so she couldn’t see his face. When she slid out of the way, he approached the sink and filled the cup in his hand, and he took a long drink from it until his head tilted back and his throat pulsed. He had no shirt and his body smelled like sweat and sex.

When he was finished, he set the cup down and he turned away from her. “Wait,” she hissed, “what are _you_ doing here?”

He paused.

“Dryden is gonna _kill_ you—“ _don’t cough, don’t cough_ “—if he finds you here,” Rey went on. 

Kylo began to walk again, ignoring her.

Rey reached out and grabbed his wrist, and then he slapped her off and gripped the wet front of her shirt with his fist and wrenched it up to her nose. She bit down a cry as Kylo yanked her forward. The damp skin of her chest pebbled with goosebumps and her nipples hardened. He bent his head and saw it, he clicked his tongue and _admired_ it.

Then he said “You’re so _annoying”_ in a low voice, before shoving her away. Kylo opened the fridge that made ice and he pulled out a wine bottle from one of the lower layers. He elbowed her aside to open a drawer and he got the uncorker out. He was absolutely refusing to acknowledge her now. Furious tears touched her eyes.

“Why do you hate me?” she said to his back and he stopped again. She knew she shouldn’t push him anymore, just stop talking to him, but she needed to know. “Remember when you took Chewie to meet me? And you showed me all his tricks? You were _really_ nice to me then,” she said. Then she reeled further back in time. “You were really nice when you drove me back home that day, too, remember?” And she said, “You _can_ be nice. I’ve seen it.”

He was quiet for so long, she assumed that he was trying to be scary. So she was surprised when he answered, “I don’t know.”

He turned around slightly, and his brow was furrowed. “You know, with the Mark, I _can’t_ stay away from you for long no matter how much I try, and I have _tried_ ,” he said. “I’m always fucking _magnetized_ to you, and I know I fucking hate _that_.”

That was something she didn’t know before. She never felt a ‘magnetization’ to him; she didn’t feel a lot of the pains she was supposed to with the Mark towards her supposed ‘soulmate’, so it surprised her that Kylo apparently did. _Am I broken?_ she thought.

“Don’t you hate that, too?” he asked. “To be _chained_ to me.”

She was unsure if she was allowed to be honest and say _yes, I hate you Kylo Ren_ , because now she was older and she was expected to have manners n shit. She was unsure if she should say _yes_ and show just how little the Mark affected her, n that it was _his_ sole cross to bear. She felt a little sorry for him.

“I figure we have our _whole_ _lives_ together for me to be nice to you,” he said nonchalantly. 

Rey had something to say about that, but then she heard Mama call from the other room like a cat in heat.

“Coming!” he cried before winking at Rey. In a low voice he promised, “You know I’ll always belong to _you_ ,” but in a mocking way. “ _Someday_ I _think_ I’ll be nice to you, in the same way I’m nice with your Momma.” Rey was struck with the urge to grab her mug n slam it into that long horsey face, but he was already going away from her. He was good at doing that, just _leaving_ ; he’d been practicing for practically her whole life.

Her eyes began to sting something fierce, and she swiped them away. There was a tight feeling in her chest, and when she tried to breathe, the feeling crackled. She couldn’t believe that he would do this to her and make her feel like this. She couldn’t believe that being a good and decent man took _effort_ from him, and that he could just save it all for some future date, like she would be _waiting_ for him after all that. Well, maybe she _wouldn’t_ wait for him. That bullshit about _true love_ and _destiny_ that was laid out for them, all because of those ugly scars on her hand and his face? She would prove it meant nothing, leave town one day and get a job. Get away for good. Rey smiled to herself in the dark, and she even didn’t mind the sounds of the fucking from the bedroom over. She figured that he would probably be glad that she was gone, too.


End file.
